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Election Night 2012 gave us a first family that was radiant, happy and highly fashionable.

Photo Credit: TheGrio

The dress Michele Obama wore that night looked familiar and this blog I found confirmed it. She shopped her closet for Election night! Mrs. O exemplifies real women! If you’ve got a great dress, who says you can’t wear it again? Many celebrities from Oprah Winfrey to Angelina Jolie never do. Michele Obama is both confident and courageous enough to re-wear an outfit, knowing she will be photographed on each occasion, not only in the U.S., but around the world. Kudos to Mrs. O! If our closet is truly our castle (as mine certainly is) and we are buying only those clothes that we love and look great on us, a really good frock SHOULD be given another chance to shine — This goes for whether we’re a first lady, a regular woman, or both.

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I caught another fashionista in action while modeling for the “inner funky” video at the light rail station near the Epicentre weeks ago. Her name: Jasmine Lotharp. And as far as fashion essence, hers slapped me in the face like a helping of my mom’s homemade banana pudding. First came the short spiky hair in “I’m not afraid to rock it” red. Now if shocking hair colors aren’t your thing, and I’ll have to say drastic color isn’t always mine, you might have turned away and never turned back. But if you were like me at that moment, you couldn’t stop looking! The reward? A serving of style with Jasmine’s short, but not too short purple tank dress accented with tasteful neck cut-outs. The ultimate accessory? Check out those leopard print shoes. Sorry I didn’t hold the camera on them long enough! I was so taken by this undeniable display of fashionable individuality, I asked the photographer to stop in the middle of my own shoot so I could talk to her. Here is our unedited talk. Really funny lady. She’s just 18 years old and she wants to go to fashion school one day. With her uncanny sense of style, I’d say that dream will become a reality. If you listen closely to the video, you’ll see that the guys left a lot to be desired when compared to their well-dressed companions. (Another blog, another day for male fashion.) Thanks to Jasmine for a fun first interview!

So last week I was going for a fitness walk in Uptown over lunch. When I’m fitness-walking, fashion is the last thing on my mind. I wear a pair of walking shoes, a t-shirt, and a visor. While this is the PERFECT outfit for a calorie-burning walk in the hot sun, it is definitely not a fashion statement-making ensemble.On my walk I spotted a woman whose outfit just screamed “take my picture!” Didn’t want to bother her, but I changed my mind. An outfit that well-put together was once in a lifetime.

“May I snap your photo for my blog?” I asked. She laughed, agreed and told the person on the phone that she was being asked to be photographed. “I’ve been getting that all day with this outfit,” she said into the phone.I can see why, I told her. You really “put your foot in it” with that combination. And speaking of feet, those shoes! Of course the shoes had to be photographed!So what made this outfit “must see?” I loved the way she used the neutral navy dress as a backdrop for several keenly placed bright blue accents. There is bright blue in the lace top, bright blue in the bracelet, bright blue in the necklace and of course, those superstar shoes! The silvery scarf-belt at her waist pulled everything together and added the perfect highlight. Our model looked confident, feminine, fun and flirty.

Who is our model? Mrs. Kimberly M. Tabor! She is a Wedding Director and Event Coordinator. If you’d like to have contact her, I’ll help you get in touch with her.

Your thoughts on this outfit? What did you notice? Ever had a “great outfit day” loaded with compliments? Do share!

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So last week I prepared for my photo shoot. No, the current banner image was not my first choice. I just haven’t been able to put together the banner image I wanted with my current resources.

Then in walked Telow MowZus Baugh, of Just Imagine Photography. He’s a one year Charlotte newcomer and veteran photographer. It was serendipitous. He understood my banner concept, and agreed to shoot it at a very reasonable rate, but first he wanted to shoot a video interview that captured my artistic essence. Warning! His portfolio is more risque than I’m used to and I won’t be modeling any boudoir photos! But check it out anyway. (It’s not for children!)
My artistic essence? But what IS my artistic essence? There’s the traditional me. The 9-5 me. The me that most see and the me that I grew up with. Conservative, not too much cleavage and definitely matching.

But…somewhere, deep down inside, below the conservative outer shell is a funky artist diva. But how to reach that inner artist? Is it possible to put together a funky, artistic look by using what’s in my closet?

I-shops-my-closet dilemma #2. How to locate your inner funky.

I surveyed my closet. Visions of my 9-5 stared back. I started breathing fast. Calm down, there has to be a logical way to approach this. Ahh, start with your funkiest accessories, I told myself. My Darrell Roach Designs (DRD) earrings are one my funkiest accessories. Darrell is a NC bred celebrity jewelry designer who now resides in LA. I met him in 2006 at a beauty shop where he was hawking his wares. When I saw his work, I realized I had to have something from him. I wear one of his rings and a bracelet daily. His work has donned the likes of Susan Taylor, Eva Marcille, Beyonce, and most recently, Prince! Yes, Mr. Purple Rain himself.

The earrings are neutral copper hoops with whispery orange stones. I abolutely love them! He designed a set of bracelets that complement them. With them, I often wear a necklace designed by another Charlotte designer, Mary B. Sanders of Mahogany Mary. She is an up and coming designer who will be forming her own website and blog soon!
So the next question I asked myself was, what colors look best on my skin that also go with the earrings? I decided on an Island orange sleeveless knit top that I’ve had for years. I paired it with one of my favorite neutrals, my leopard print skirt. Bottoming out the look: a pair of my favorite funky sandals.

Here’s one of the photos from the shoot. For the most part, I love how the outfit turned out! After a two-hour shoot, we were losing daylight, but somehow MowZus captured what light was available juxtaposed with the orangey glow of the light rail benches. The result? Funky, Achieved.

My Steps1) Start with your funkiest accessory or item of clothing.
2) Next find the colors that look best on your skin and also go with the funky item.
3) Make sure that all pieces fit well and are figure flattering.
4) Pay attention to detail. What undergarments do you need to make sure to have a smooth line underneath? I love Spanx and Assets. I find them extremely comfortable and extremely forgiving!
5) What about the hair? What hairstyle adds to your funky? In my case I set my hair in twists, wore it up to work and then took out the twists later to form a sort of loose crimped look for the shoot.
6) Check out the look in the mirror, do you feel both funky and at ease with the look? Then you’re all set!
Note: I feel I look a bit more lumpy than I’d like in the photo. I looked much smoother in the mirror. They say photos add five pounds (or was it ten?). A smoother line underneath or a less form-fitting top might have worked better. But overall, I’m pleased!

How about you?Ever had to channel a part of yourself you or others don’t often get to see? Maybe you’ve had to go from conservative to funky, or from funky to conservative. How did you achieve the different look? What worked or didn’t work? Please comment and share with me and others.

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So I have this red, white and grey top. I love this top! It has three quarter length sleeves and a v-neck that starts buttoning about 6″ from the collar, making it great for necklace wearing.

A really great red striped top has lost its partner. Time for an “I shops my closet” solution!

It’s the type of top that can double as a blouse or a jacket. I usually wear it with my heather grey slacks, but last fall those slacks were quarantined to the off-season closet until I could squeeze back into them. So…what to do with this perfectly good blouse now missing its favorite partner?

First step: Evaluate the colors in the top and examine my closet for items with similar colors.

White? I could wear it as a jacket with a white tee or camisole underneath and then pair with white bottoms. I have lots of white tees and camisoles, but I don’t have any white bottoms. Since white tends to make things look bigger, with “alla my backside”, I rarely wear white bottoms.

Grey? I only have the grey pants and they are on ice. All of my other bottoms are either black solids, or prints that would clash. Black would work and is one of my favorite neutrals, but sometimes I get tired of wearing black all the time.

Red? Wait a minute, I have a solid red skirt, a red dress, a red sleeveless sweater, two red belts and at least three pairs of red shoes!

Once I pulled them out, I have about 5 pairs of red shoes and 2 red belts!

Step Two: Try on the items to see how they look together.I slipped on the shirt and the skirt. Ding-ding-ding-ding, WINNER! Just need something to nip in the waist. The red patent leather belt? Too dark. The red belt with the silver buckle? BINGO!

Now the shoes. First up, The red open toe mule sandals. They’d do in a rush. Very comfortable, just not as sharp of a look as I’d like with this outfit. The red ankle-strap closed toe shoes? Classics that give a sort of “Mad Men” feel. They’d work. Finally, the patent-leather Mary Janes. Ding-ding-ding-ding! WINNER!

The red patent leather Mary Janes add just the right playful touch to an outfit that features lots of red! Can you believe those shoes were less than $40!

What about this red sleeveless sweater? Would it work as a vest? I slipped it on over the top and while it does look nice, perhaps the two reds clash? What do you think? I have worn the combination before.

Looking at the red from the skirt and the sweater, they seem to clash a bit. One is orangey and one has blue undertones. I’ve worn them together before, not sure if I’d wear the skirt and sweater together again. However the blouse and sweater would go fine with my heather grey slacks or another neutral bottom.

But wait, there’s more! Remember the red dress I told you about? Belting the top over the dress netted me yet another look.

Red-striped top worn as a jacket over red dress.

And finally, one last outfit. I forgot that I had a white sleeveless sweater exactly like the red one. The white sweater over the top resulted in a look that goes nicely with my many black neutrals, or maybe even the red skirt!

White sweater vest works out great with the top. What a finale!

So this little exploratory session netted four new looks using a lonely striped top.

Lessons Learned

If you haven’t worn something in a year, instead of throwing it out as some experts say, take a second look at it. Why aren’t you wearing it? Try it with things you already own and with accessories you already have. Even if you think you might not like the look, try it anyway with just you and your mirror, you may be surprised.

Always try to come up with two looks per item. This helps you extend your wardrobe.

When buying clothes, avoid the trends. Buy things that are flattering to your figure because they NEVER go out of style.